Prominent Democrats lined up Monday to condemn an anti-gay bill before the Uganda Parliament that includes a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”

MP David Bahati's bill outlaws gay sex and includes a death provision for repeat offenders and people who are HIV-positive. The bill also makes the “promotion of homosexuality” illegal, which would effectively ban political organizations, broadcasters and publishers that advocate on behalf of gay rights, and turns friends and family members of gay men and lesbians into criminals if they fail to report a violation.

The proposed legislation will receive its first hearing within the next weeks and is widely expected to be approved before the end of February.

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts released a statement on Monday after being prodded by Boston-based gay weekly Bay Windows: “Noticeably absent from those standing up against the 'Kill the Gays Bill' is Massachusetts' own Senator John Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.” The paper said calls to the senator's office had gone unreturned.

“I join many voices in the United States, Uganda and around the world in condemning Uganda's draft legislation imposing new and harsher penalties against homosexuality,” Senator Kerry said. “Discrimination in any form is wrong, and the United States must say so unequivocally. Many Ugandans are voicing concern that such a law will create witch-hunts against homosexuals, and hinder the fight against HIV/AIDS. Over the years the United States government, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has worked closely with Ugandans to combat HIV/AIDS and other public health issues; we value our relationship with Uganda's people. Given the pressing HIV/AIDS crisis Uganda is facing, this bill is extremely counterproductive.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton included the bill in a speech on human rights. “Law should not become an instrument of oppression,” she said in a sweeping speech at Georgetown University on Monday.

Over the weekend, President Obama joined the chorus of Democrats opposed to the bill, telling gay monthly the Advocate that the law “moves against the tide of history.”

At least one Republican, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, was pressured by several media sources to distance himself from the bill. Grassley released a statement to the Iowa Independent on Friday that called the bill “un-Christian.”

“Based on what I've been able to learn about the legislation and from the stand point that I'm a born again Christian, I can tell you that I don't agree with this un-Christian and unjust proposal, and I hope the Ugandan officials dismiss it,” he said. Grassley favors putting a gay marriage ban in the Iowa Constitution.

Grassley's connections to the Family, a secretive religious organization reportedly involved in crafting the legislation, have come under scrutiny after MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show reported on the senator's alleged affiliation with the group.

Lawmakers in the UK, France and Canada have also denounced the bill. But the bill's sponsor, MP Bahati, is committed to passage, saying: “There is no amount of pressure or intimidation that will deter us from preventing our children from being lured into this evil.”